1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to central air conditioners and more particularly relates to an apparatus for dispensing treatment chemicals for preventing the formation of drain blocking algae growth. More particularly the invention relates to an apparatus that may be placed in the drain line from the pan.
2. General Background
Generally central air conditioning units have the evaporator coils placed in the attic of homes because of the availability of space. Because of the nature of these units they require a reservoir called a drain pan for catching condensate water which is generated on a constant flow basis while the units are in operation. Most of the water drains from the pan through a drain line provided to a sewer or simply outside of the attic. However, there is typically a residue of water which remains in the pan at all times. The water remaining in the pan can become contaminated with algae growth, fungus and the like which can accumulate in the pan or drain line and cause a blockage. A blockage in the drain line can be disastrous for a home owner for the drain pan can overflow causing damage to the ceiling, walls and carpets.
The constant problem of drain blockage in the central air conditioning units has been a major problem since their inception. While several solutions are available most are primitive and manual. One of the most common is to put chemical agents in the drain pan to prevent the buildup of the algae and fungus.
Some of the chemical agents come as tablets which are placed in the pan and dissolve in the water. At least one of the tablet manufacturers packages the tablets in a multiple tablet holder with a sponge like support beneath the tablets for slow dissolving. Even this requires dismantling the service panel to access the drain pan. Thus a simple method of adding the chemical treatment, especially the tablets, was seen to be desirable. On of the problems associated with the tablets is that they tend to float to the surface and are not dissolved effectively.